The TradCast Episode 01

On the first episode of the TradCast, I give you a bit of history about me. I discuss my experience at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Rediscover: Catholic Celebration. What do you do with your orthodox leanings in a progressive parish? And finally, what does it mean to be Catholic and who do we look to in this day when modernism reigns supreme?

Currently, you can download or listen from SoundCloud. Due to some technical difficulties and lack of foresight on my part, this is the only way you can listen to it. I am working on getting iTunes and self-hosted working soon.

3 people are talking about “The TradCast Episode 01”

I think you have many good things to say and appreciate you telling your story. I would clarify the following:

1) Amazing Parish and Rebuilt – I agree that they are fully missing the boat when it comes to what should be their foundation, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I don’t like this “Sunday Experience” crap. However they do make three very good points that every church should listen to (really goes back to our early Catholic roots, even though you see more protestant churches doing it): 1) Stop the consumer mentality. Catholics need to stop thinking what is God/Church doing for me and begin to think what can I do for Him/what is He calling me to do. 2) Small Faith Communities. There is nothing more powerful than having a close group of friends to gather with and share thoughts/feelings/knowledge about life in relation to Faith (you mention something similar to this in you podcast about those staying in the progressive church, “at least you will find some friends”) 3) Intentionally reaching out to the lost/unchurched. The apostles dynamically reached out to everyone and had the mission and vision to evangelize. These ideas are Catholic, but Catholics are not doing a good job doing them as well as other denominations.

2) I’m not sure I understand what you are saying about Pharisees. The reason “traditionalists” are associated with this phrase is because the Pharisees were “the most rigid defenders of the Jewish religion and traditions… [they held that] the duty of all true Israelites consisted in whole-hearted devotion to the Law, and to the manifold observances which their numerous traditions had engrafted upon it, joined to a patient waiting for the expected manifestation of the Divine Will.” http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11789b.htm; likewise, the traditionalists are typically the most rigid defenders of Catholic religion and traditions (even your own words in the podcast state that traditionalists love the law and only impose it in order to not see others suffer, which is the exact mind frame of a Pharisee). Fr. Simon on Relevant radio has spent a lot of air time this past summer talking about how Pharisees get a bad rep but in reality they were usually the most devote and disciplined Jews. That really they were role models. “So devoted were they to the prescriptions of the Law that on one occasion when attacked by the Syrians on the Sabbath they refused to defend themselves (1 Maccabees 2:42)” and in their cause “many suffered martyrdom”. That doesn’t sound too bad to me, nor does it sound like a derogatory phrase to be associated with it.

The problem comes in when their “prestige” in the community “engendered arrogance and conceit, and led to a perversion in many respects of the conservative ideals of which they had been such staunch supporters.” At times they appeared to be hypocrites. Other times they looked too strictly at the law and ignored the importance of charity. Sometimes they would form new laws, “manifold observances”, to make sure the Law was being properly followed. They consistently prodded Jesus with questions to see how well He was in keeping with the Law. You mention that the people that are calling the traditionalists “pharisees” are not living out their faith – I would say they are not as faithful to the “Law”, but as Jesus pointed out to the pharisees there is more to faith than just following the traditions and the Law. You then go on to say that these people are making their own rules. I would disagree – they might be introducing “novelties” but this is hardly anything close to what I would call a rule – in fact I would think they are more in the line of not holding to the rules rather than making more (I would never associate them with the term pharisee). You then mention that the Pharisees did not love the law and despised it, which couldn’t be further from the truth – I think you may want to do some more research on this topic.

Good stuff, Jeff. Your story was very interesting! I think there are very few orthodox Catholics who don’t have a conversion story of some kind (usually the cradle Catholic/lukewarm/poor catechesis journey), but yours had an interesting spin. Quite amazing the way the Holy Spirit moves in those who have a desire and yearning for the Truth. Thanks for sharing!